What is the go to emtb these days?

[Lexinoo]

Starting to look at replacing my old 2019 canyon spectral on that's getting on a bit now and I could do with a bigger battery.
What are the bikes of choice these days for general UK trail riding. I see a lot of Levos around but they used to be very unreliable is that still the case?
My Shimano e8000 motor has been great but I've read a lot of negativity on the newer Shimano motors.
Which would be your choice of bike/ motor ?lots around in the sales for around the 4k mark but I'm out of touch with what's good nowadays. Trek,cube,Whyte , Haibike,Specialized???
Thanks. Happy new year.

 

[Renton_Yorkshire]

Your usual ride types would likely dictate what bike / motor combo would work best for you I'd say, possibly also what your requirements from a bike might be - mid or full power. Also, your height and build - as I found out

 

[Polar]

Jump on the Amflow hype and you're good.

 

[Rando_12345]

In terms of new tech it's the AMflow/DJI but a bit above your stated budget. Otherwise cube have a really good range just released with the brand new Bosch motor.

There are a lot of deals now though, if you want light weight you could grab an orbea rise from last year for cheap. I think trek fuels are also cheap right and owners love them, but they have one of the least powerful motors.

The current levo can be found cheap, but due to the reliability concerns, I'd only recommend it if you live close to a spesh shop and don't ride massive loops out in the wilderness. It's usually considered among the best riding bikes.

 

[Gyre]

I haven't tried everything by a long shot, but the Levo and Wild are fantastic and pretty safe recommendations.

The DJI motor is interesting, but you're looking at a 1.0 product and I'm skeptical about the frame/suspension. The Forbidden e-Dreadnought should be a beastly combo when it releases if the DJI rumors are true.

 

[Mik3F]

I love my Whyte e160 RSX, great bike

 

[Lexinoo]

Saw this Whyte which I thought looked a bargain,but like I said I'm not up to date on this stuff.
For the record ,I am early 50s, 5 foot 10, 13 stone , i like trail centres ,off piste single-track, cross country,and a few jumps but not huge road gaps etc I definitely want another full fat bike and not a lightweight.

 

[timo2824]

In terms of new tech it's the AMflow/DJI but a bit above your stated budget. Otherwise cube have a really good range just released with the brand new Bosch motor.

There are a lot of deals now though, if you want light weight you could grab an orbea rise from last year for cheap. I think trek fuels are also cheap right and owners love them, but they have one of the least powerful motors.

The current levo can be found cheap, but due to the reliability concerns, I'd only recommend it if you live close to a spesh shop and don't ride massive loops out in the wilderness. It's usually considered among the best riding bikes.

I'd wait a year or so before recommending a new motor to someone. We have zero ideas of reliability, real world efficiency, or the new bikes they'll be in. I'd say any of the current generation motors are mostly equal in real world scenarios. I'm also not sold on the new motors higher torque and watts. It'll just use more battery and technically isn't a class 1 E-bikes anymore. I know my local racing series won't let any bike that doesn't fit the class 1 description pass tech inspection. It'd suck to buy a new bike and then find out it's illegal to ride or race off the showroom floor...

 

[Mik3F]

Saw this Whyte which I thought looked a bargain,but like I said I'm not up to date on this stuff.
For the record ,I am early 50s, 5 foot 10, 13 stone , i like trail centres ,off piste single-track, cross country,and a few jumps but not huge road gaps etc I definitely want another full fat bike and not a lightweight.View attachment 152560

Great bike, really good IMHO

Glad I bought mine

I personally don't think you can go wrong with one of them

Im 6 2" and went with an XL, I tried the Large and it felt fine, but my wife said I looked a little cramped on it

 

[weihlac]

Starting to look at replacing my old 2019 canyon spectral on that's getting on a bit now and I could do with a bigger battery.
What are the bikes of choice these days for general UK trail riding. I see a lot of Levos around but they used to be very unreliable is that still the case?
My Shimano e8000 motor has been great but I've read a lot of negativity on the newer Shimano motors.
Which would be your choice of bike/ motor ?lots around in the sales for around the 4k mark but I'm out of touch with what's good nowadays. Trek,cube,Whyte , Haibike,Specialized???
Thanks. Happy new year.

The go to EMTB is the one with the best local dealer support.

 

[Lexinoo]

The go to EMTB is the one with the best local dealer support.

Yes you're probably right unfortunately,all the good deals I keep finding are from hundreds of miles away!
I don't live too far from raceco though who have a good name with the specialized bikes I believe.

 

[ottoshape]

The go to EMTB is the one with the best local dealer support.

Local dealers with competent/expert wrenches is a bonus IF you run into issues needing warranty support on a $5-15K toy. I got excellent over the phone warranty support from Ari on my Wire Peak Pro when the e8000 motor lost it's mind. I had to turn some wrenches but for me, that is part of the fun.

The local dealer who was only tasked with assembling my Beta dirt bike out of the crate stripped a bolt in the motor case, failed to fill the secondary oil reservoir for the clutch and didn't check the intake to carb clamps for tightness.

My go to eMTB is the one with good quality off the shelf parts bolted to a frame that won't self destruct when cart-wheeled down a hill. Everything except the frame and maybe hangers have to be available on the internet...

 

[weihlac]

Yes you're probably right unfortunately,all the good deals I keep finding are from hundreds of miles away!
I don't live too far from raceco though who have a good name with the specialized bikes I believe.

You are much better off with a good bike and good local support than a good/great deal on a bike with poor/no local support.

 

[Chedhead]

Still the whyte e160. Do need for much else, feel like I am peddling faster 4 days into dry Jan lol. Long 4 days it’s Been

 

[ValActionT 750]

I got the Cube stereo hybrid 140 Actionteam yada yada. Bosch, XTR etc. Love it lots of power. Iremembered your price point.
Same brand would be the Cube stereo hybred 140 pro or Race would be in your range..
Good lcuk!

 

[Mik3F]

Yes you're probably right unfortunately,all the good deals I keep finding are from hundreds of miles away!
I don't live too far from raceco though who have a good name with the specialized bikes I believe.

Use Raceco as your wrench then and get the bike you want from further afield

 

[Mikehorti]

Saw this Whyte which I thought looked a bargain,but like I said I'm not up to date on this stuff.
For the record ,I am early 50s, 5 foot 10, 13 stone , i like trail centres ,off piste single-track, cross country,and a few jumps but not huge road gaps etc I definitely want another full fat bike and not a lightweight.

Absolute bargain! I have a 2021 e-150rs and it’s never missed a beat. A truly excellent full fat emtb